Fighting and chaos erupted throughout the entire Academy. The noble students were caught off guard by the magical rune attacks, but not all of them were defenseless. Especially the fourth-year students, who were experienced in combat, they managed far better than the students below them.
As for the first- through third-year students, they were somewhat able to defend themselves, but most of them sustained injuries that required medical attention and healers. Since there were fewer professors than students overall, they were spread thin throughout the Academy, rushing to areas where they anticipated fierce battles were taking place.
Right behind the main cafeteria, a battle was also raging. Several wounded noble students took shelter in a secluded spot behind the main cafeteria, they were so severely injured that they couldn't defend themselves and were being chased by commoner students—or, in this case, students involved in the chaos. The noble students were preparing to meet their end—that is, until Leon and his group arrived in time to rescue them.
"What are you doing...!?"
"That's right! Stay away from this!!"
The students causing the commotion shouted as they pointed their various weapons. Leon, in his battle stance, was alert and not the least bit intimidated. "Guys, please calm down! Let's stop this, okay…?" Ellen helped the noble students by administering first aid, such as cleaning their wounds and bandaging them. Cecilia cast healing spells on the noble students after Ellen was done. Anna and Chelsey shielded those two, standing beside Leon with full concentration.
"What d'you say!? Leon, they're nobles!" shouted one of the attacking students. Then another student stepped forward in a rage, "They're scum who don't deserve any pity!!"
Leon stood his ground, protecting his two friends who were tending to the wounds. "I know dealing with nobles is a hassle, but—" another student interrupted Leon angrily. "Shut up!! Because of him—!" he pointed at one of the noble students who was covering his eyes in pain, "—because of him! I lost my scholarship! He falsely accused me of cheating on the exam, just because my grades were better than his!!!"
"Her!!" another student chimed in, "She bullied me and burned all my books, and even hired someone to beat me up while I was walking around town, Leon! You know what's funny?" he trembled with anger and continued, "She laughed at me while I was lying there helpless after getting beaten up! I—I almost died, you know!?!?" One by one, the attacked students vented everything they'd been holding back—the dirty and cruel things the noble students had done to them.
Leon and his group were initially surprised, but Leon flared his Mana and didn't budge from his spot. "I've been there too, guys…" Leon replied in a slightly somber tone, "but that doesn't mean you have to kill them too!" Anna chimed in, though a bit stammering, "Ju-just as Leon said! If you go any further, the—then serious punishment will befall you..." Chelsey held her fists in front of her, "They are indeed cruel, nyaa… but killing them…" the beastkin said sadly.
Ellen stood up, having finished tending to the noble students who were currently unconscious. "You'd better disperse. We'll all testify to these nobles' heinous actions, if you insist." Cecilia stood beside Ellen and said gently, "They have indeed committed a grave sin, but just as my friends said earlier, it's better for you to stop here..."
One of the attacking students scoffed, "And miss out on our revenge! Not gonna happen!" Another male student chimed in, "All that humiliation… all that oppression! They'll pay for it right now!!!" With those words, the attackers clashed with Leon's group.
Leon responded quickly and acted as the vanguard, drawing attention and taking on three students at the same time. With his proficiency in swordsmanship, he was able to easily parry the attacks from the attacking students. When a spear was about to penetrate his inner guard, he deflected it, stomped the tip into the ground, and quickly knocked out its user. He did the same to the remaining attackers, rendering them unconscious with the hilt of his sword.
Anna and Chelsey also joined the fight. Anna disrupted the attackers' movements by manipulating the ground in specific areas—such as the ground beneath their feet. She softened the ground to destabilize their posture and balance, some stumbled while others slipped. Chelsey capitalized on those moments by launching fiery punches at their stomachs.
"Take this, nyaa!"
"Buoogh!?"
Her punch was so lethal that it managed to knock out most of the attacking students with a single blow. They passed out with their eyes rolled back and foam at the mouth. Ellen supported her friends on the front lines by firing arrows imbued with wind magic. Some arrows landed squarely on their non-vital parts, such as arms, legs, or shoulders. Her precision was top-tier, she remained focused despite some magical attacks from the attackers nearly hitting her. Cecilia became the team's core, frequently buffing the entire team with her magic and occasionally deflecting incoming projectile magic with her light magic.
It didn't take long for the attackers to fall unconscious one by one, the synchronization and harmony among the members of Leon's group were truly that good. He sheathing his sword again, Leon began to discuss their next objective.
"Huh? That is..."
Leon and his group turned to look ahead, seeing several people they recognized approaching the area.
***
Time goes back a little…
The chaos also spread to the main Student Council building, the attackers even entered the building with the intention of attacking the Student Council President.
The Student Council members and the Disciplinary Committee struggled to cope with the overwhelming number of attackers—Of course, with the sole exception of Frederick Nomus Aldeno, aka the current Student Council President.
"Frederiiickkkk!!!" One of the attacking students hurled a giant fireball at the black-haired man, and Frederick casually raised his right hand. A black wall formed before him and collided with the fireball. The explosion reverberated throughout the building. The attacking students waited with bated breath, and their eyes widened in disbelief as the smoke cleared, revealing Frederick smiling slightly, still alive.
"That's not good. Don't any of you have any tact or discipline?" the man said politely, but to those present, his words sounded like a verdict.
"Nevertheless, you must be punished!" Grasping his wand, Frederick spread his arms wide and unleashed his Mana. The pressure was overwhelming, causing everyone around him to tremble in fear. From above, a massive black mass formed and slowly took shape as countless tiny sharp objects. He brought his hand down, and the sharp objects plummeted like executioners of death.
"Agghhhh!!"
"Guuhhkkk!?"
"Whaa-what is thiis-!"
His shadow magic was so skillful that the sharp objects only struck the attacking students, robbing them of their ability to move and wounding their vital points—but not killing them.
Silence returned to the room, with occasional groans from the collapsed assailants. Frederick clapped his hands, drawing the attention of the surviving members of the student council and disciplinary committee who were still able to move.
"Treat their wounds and then bind them." They simply nodded and obeyed Frederick's orders. Then he moved to the side of the room where there was one group that had withstood the students' attacks better than the others.
That group is Cornelius's group.
"I appreciate your help with this room just now, but I believe they'll keep coming until we do something about those runes or catch the mastermind behind this chaos."
"Find those people. And if possible, bring them to me. Good luck." His command felt absolute, leaving the group no room to reply. Frederick immediately turned around and walked away.
"Geez, His Highness really does whatever he wants, huh~" Cornelius said with a wry smile as he wiped his sweaty forehead. "That's royalty for you," Dianne said, panting. Alex responded by sheathing his sword. "But His Highness is right. If we let this go on, more victims will keep falling." Silvia gripped her magic staff, furrowing her brows. "Then let's leave immediately."
"To where?" asked Dianne, twirling her spear. "Our investigation hasn't yielded any results yet, and the attack has already happened!" Cornelius tried to defuse the situation. "First, we'd better meet up with those who've already shared information with us about this."
Alex nodded, understanding his friend's words. "Leon and his group… and…" Silvia named the last person, "…Eric." They fell silent for a moment, looked at one another, then set off without saying a word. As they exited the building, the fierce battle was still raging outside. The four of them sped through the Academy grounds.
"There they are! The fucking nobles!" shouted one of the attacking students from the roof of a building, signaling to his friends. Cornelius and his gang grew wary upon hearing the shout. When they reached the path near the Academy's main library, they were blocked by a mob of attacking students.
"Take them down!" shouted a student, brandishing his spear. Alex and Dianne drew their weapons and immediately charged forward. Alex coated his sword with a high-speed stream of water across its surface, making it so sharp that it easily broke and split some of the weapons attacking him.
"Ho-how-!?" The student, whose sword had been split in two, was then struck by Alex until he lost consciousness. Dianne fought like a wild beast. Her overhead swing was fierce and filled with fiery power that sent chills down her opponents' spines, as if the flames were coming from a dragon's fiery breath. Although she didn't intend to attack with full force, her blunt attacks left some painful bruises—enough to knock the attacking students to the ground.
Silvia helped Alex by dropping a handful of ice balls onto the heads of the attacking students. Those hit by her magic suddenly shivered from the cold, but she didn't stop there—she also formed a small cloud of cold vapor around their heads, making it difficult for them to breathe as the dry, cold air entered their lungs. Cornelius supported his friends with his electric magic, zapping those who let their guard down like mischievous little kids. When one of the attackers managed to break through Alex and Dianne's defense, he blasted them with a powerful electric shock, causing the attacker to freeze rigid before collapsing in convulsions.
Minutes later, the four of them successfully repelled the ambush and paused for a moment to catch their breath.
"Huff… huff… shall we continue on?" Dianne asked, gasping for air repeatedly.
"Yes, let's continue our journey," Alex replied, gripping his sword tightly.
"Fine. Lead the way, Dianne—be my shield~" Cornelius said, shrugging while throwing a joke. "Huh!? What's that supposed to mean!?" Dianne argued, her voice rising slightly.
"Eric…?" As Silvia uttered that name, everyone stopped bickering and looked in the direction Silvia was staring.
A man was running quickly with a blank expression, but everyone there could see the anger and frustration on his face. Just as Silvia had said, Eric ran toward their group and arrived looking annoyed. He took a deep breath and then stated his intention to the four of them.
"I have some clues. Hear me out."